System, computer program product and method for accessing a local network of electronic devices

ABSTRACT

A method of managing electronic devices includes providing a main server including software for managing network resources from a single point of administration, receiving at the main server wireless data packets from a plurality of wireless electronic devices, and determining a registered device among the plurality of wireless electronic devices. The registered device is then wirelessly connecting to the main server to create a wireless local area network (LAN), and is managed using the software. The registered device may be an appliance, an environmental control device, or an entertainment device and the LAN may be a home or office LAN.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation application of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/961,155, filed Dec. 20, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No.8,130,701 which is a continuation application of and claims the benefitof priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 of application Ser. No. 10/347,615,filed Jan. 22, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,327,701. The entire contents ofthe above-identified applications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to methods, computer-based systems andcomputer program products for accessing a network, and in particularaccessing a local network of electronic devices.

2. Discussion of the Background

The past few decades have witnessed the ever-increasing pervasiveness ofelectronic and computer equipment in our work and home lives. From homeentertainment systems to office equipment, the modern home and workplaceincludes a vast array of electronic devices. Moreover, traditionalelectrical devices such as refrigerators and ordinary lighting unitshave become sophisticated microprocessor controlled devices.

With such a large number of sophisticated electronic devices in our homeand workplace, there has been recognized a need to manage suchequipment. For example, the Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGI) isan industry initiative to provide the technology to allow management oflocalized electronics equipment by use of an external service provider.The initiative contemplates a service provider, located on a wide areanetwork such as the Internet, providing management services for thelocalized electronic devices through a “gateway” into the home orworkplace that the devices are located in. However, given the currentstate of computer security, users may be unwilling to open control ofsuch fundamental necessities such as security and climate control to thecontrol of a virtual entity on the Internet. Moreover, comprehensivecontrol of one's electronic environment may require wiring many devicesto a central computer which is expensive and restricts the mobility ofthe devices.

In addition to the need to manage the large number of sophisticateddevices in the home or office, the diversity of such devices makes itdifficult for users to manually control the settings of these devices.For example, while most microprocessor based devices are set up andmanually controlled by way of a menu driven interface, the menuorganization and terminology varies greatly among electronic devices.Indeed, one must spend a great deal of time reading setup and controlinstructions for each device in the home or workplace in order tooptimize the features and conveniences of these device. This is both aburden and a bother to users.

In addition to the burden of learning the control features of eachelectronic device, many devices are not provided with a remotecontroller thereby requiring the user to input commands to each devicelocally. Those devices that do have remote control such as televisions,VCRs, and ceiling fans have traditionally used an infrared transceiveron the remote control device and the device to be controlled. However,such control devices require line of sight infrared communications whichis not suitable for controlling wireless network devices that arescattered throughout various rooms of a household or office. Moreover,traditional remote control devices are often complex devices thatinclude a large number of buttons associated with functional controlsfor the device to be controlled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a method, system, andcomputer readable medium for locally managing electronic devices in thehome or workplace.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method, system,and computer readable medium for sharing the resources of a main serverthat manages a variety of electronic devices.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method,system, and computer readable medium for reliably and securely accessingthe resources of a wireless LAN.

These and other objectives of the present invention are met by a method,system, and computer program product for managing electronic devices.The method on which the system and computer program product are basedincludes providing a main server including software for managing networkresources from a single point of administration, receiving at the mainserver wireless data packets from a plurality of wireless electronicdevices, and determining a registered device among the plurality ofwireless electronic devices. The registered device is then wirelesslyconnecting to the main server to create a wireless local area network(LAN), and is managed using the software. The registered device may bean appliance, an environmental control device, or an entertainmentdevice.

The main server may be a desktop computer or a portable computer and thestep of determining may include determining a registered device based ona general characteristic of the wireless data packet received from theregistered device, or based on a unique identifier of the registereddevice that is included in the wireless data packet received from theregistered device. Where a general characteristic is used, determiningthe registered device includes identifying a transmit frequency,encryption method or identifier of the wireless data packet, anddetermining if the transmit frequency, encryption method or identifieris a common to all registered devices on the wireless LAN. Where aunique identifier is used, determining the registered device includesidentifying a transmit frequency or encryption key of the wireless datapacket, and comparing the transmit frequency or encryption key to anetwork device list to determine if the frequency is associated with aregistered device.

The electronic devices may be managed by monitoring managementinitiating parameters for the electronic devices, determining amanagement action to be performed on an electronic device to be managedbased on the management initiating parameters, and then transmitting amanagement action data packet to the electronic device to be managed.The management initiating parameters may be monitored by monitoring atleast one of a system clock and sensed parameters. The electronic deviceto be managed may receive the management action data packet and thenperform the management action at the electronic device to be managedbased on the management action data packet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of theattendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the samebecomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating a system for managing andcontrolling a local network of electronic devices in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present inventionimplemented in a home environment;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present inventionimplemented in a workplace environment;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary start up of a mainserver to establish a wireless LAN in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a process for managing theelectronic devices of a wireless home LAN according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process of a mobile terminalaccessing the resources of a main server in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a system diagram illustrating a system for managing andcontrolling a local network of electronic devices using a control devicein accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the control panel of a control device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control device in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the process manually controllingelectronic devices using a control device in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the communication correspondenceof a control device according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a control device display displaying agraphical display of selection boxes according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a process for displaying theresponding electronic devices on a control device in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of a peer-to-peer configuration of awireless network;

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of two adjacent wireless networks;

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlapping wirelesshome networks of adjacent houses in a neighborhood;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlapping wirelessoffice networks of adjacent offices in an office building;

FIG. 18 shows a method of registering and adding a wireless electronicdevice to a wireless LAN without the need for a portable registrationdevice;

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing the process of the main servercommunicating with only registered devices as an independent wirelessLAN; and

FIG. 20 illustrates a general purpose computer system upon which anembodiment according to the present invention may be implemented.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 isa system diagram illustrating a system for managing and controlling alocal network 150 of electronic devices. The system includes a mainserver 100 having a display 101, and office equipment including printers102 and 104, scanner 106, and fax machine 108. The system also includesmobile terminals 110 and 112, entertainment device 114, appliance 116,and environmental control devices 118. As seen in FIG. 1, each of thedevices 100-118 include an antenna represented by the symbol numbered as121 on the main server 100. In addition, one or all of the devices100-118 may be provided with access to the Internet 120 as will befurther described below.

The main server 100 is any suitable workstation, desktop computer orother suitable network node for providing the management of computer andnetworking resources from a single point of administration. The mainserver includes a wireless transceiver device that allows the mainserver 100 to transfer files and other data to the other wirelesselectronic equipment 102-118 by way of antenna 121. Thus, the mainserver 100 provides a server function in a wireless local area network(LAN) including the electronic equipment 102-118 of FIG. 1 as clients.The LAN may be a bus, hub, or any other network type and may contain afirewall (not shown). A firewall is a hardware device or software thatallows only authorized computers on one side of the firewall to connectto a network or computer on the other side of the firewall. Firewallsare known and commercially available devices or software (e.g.,SunScreen and Firewall 1 from Sun Microsystems, Inc.).

The main server 100 may be implemented using a general purpose computer,such as the computer of FIG. 20, that includes network operating system(NOS) software such as windows NT, Unix, Linux, or Novell Netware. Themain server 100 may include a login server application such as NovellDirectory Services (“NDS”), which is a product for managing access tocomputer networks. Using NDS, a network administrator can set up andcontrol a database of users and manage them using a directory with agraphical user interface. Using NDS, or the main server 100, users ofcomputers and other devices at remote locations can be added, updated,and managed centrally. The login operation to the network is typicallycontrolled by a script, which is executed or interpreted. As analternative to Novell Directory Services, Microsoft's Active Directorymay be utilized as a directory service. Moreover, any suitable softwareand/or hardware may be utilized to assist in controlling access to andmanagement of the network resources.

The main server 100 may also include file server, e-mail server, andInternet server applications if desired. The filer server applicationallows files contained on the main server 100 to be accessed by devices102-118. The email server may be utilized to manage and control emailaccounts on the network and permit the sending and receiving of Internetemail via Internet 120. The Internet server allows access to theInternet 120. If desired, the Internet server may be utilized to allowbrowsing of the World Wide Web, can allow file transfers using the FileTransfer Protocol, and may allow the transmission and receipt ofInternet electronic mail messages from suitable network nodes such asthe mobile terminals 110 and 112.

In addition to the server applications described above, the main server100 includes management and control applications for managing andcontrolling each of the devices connected to the main server 100, and inparticular the entertainment device 114, the appliance 116, and theenvironmental device 118. For example, the main server 100 may includesoftware for automatically controlling a thermostat or for providing auniform means of manually controlling each of the electronic devices onthe wireless LAN 150 as will be further described below.

The office equipment of the LAN 150 is signified by the dashed circle inFIG. 1 and provides all of the functions of conventional equipment thatmay be associated with a home or workplace office. For example, printers102 and 104 may be implemented as an impact or non-impact printingdevice for printing text and images on a printing medium. Similarly,scanner 106 and fax machine 108 may provide conventional opticalscanning and facsimile transmission functions respectfully. Despitethese conventional functions, the printers 102 and 104, the scanner 106,and the fax machine 108 of the present invention are provided with awireless transceiver suitable for communicating with the main server 100via their respective antennas. In this regard, special serverapplications such as a print server may be provided on the main server100 to allow all terminals on the network to share the printers 102 and104, and office equipment in general.

Mobile terminals 110 and 112 function as mobile computer terminalshaving a transceiver that allows wireless access to the main server 100.The terminals are preferably dumb terminals having only the minimumhardware needed to access the main server 100, but may be thin or fatclients having the local hardware devices needed for independentoperation, depending on the user needs. Thus, each mobile terminal 110and 112 utilizes the resources of the main terminal 100. For example,either of the terminals 110 and 112 can use the printer 102, printer104, scanner 106, or fax machine 108. Similarly, the terminals 110 and112 can access files and software applications stored on the localstorage of the main server 100. Since the terminals have wireless accessand share the resources of the main server 100, they can be easily movedto any location that is within the area of coverage of the wireless LAN150. In a preferred embodiment, this area of coverage can be adjusted toa desired size as will be further described below.

Entertainment device 114 may be any one of a variety of electronicdevices used for providing entertainment to a user. For example,entertainment device 114 may be a television, stereo, video game, videocassette recorder (VCR), digital video disk (DVD) player, compact disk(CD) player or any other electronic device for entertaining the user.While the functionality of these devices is well known in the art, theentertainment device 114 of the present invention is provided with atransceiver suitable for allowing wireless communication with the mainserver 100 by way of antenna 121. Thus, entertainment device 114 isconnected to the wireless LAN 150. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the main server 100 contains software for managing andcontrolling the entertainment device as will be described below.

Appliance 116 represents an electronic device for performing somephysical work for the user of the appliance. The appliance 116 may be adishwasher, coffee maker, refrigerator, a clothes washer or dryer, orany other similar device. The appliance 116 is also equipped with atransceiver for providing wireless communication with the main server100 via antenna 121 and is therefore connected to LAN 150. As with theentertainment device 114, the appliance 116 may be managed andcontrolled by the main server 100.

Environmental control device 118 represents those electronic devicesfound in the home or workplace, which control the environment of suchareas. For example, environmental control device 118 may be a thermostatfor controlling the heat and air conditioning of a home or building, alighting unit, a ceiling fan, an attic fan or other exhaust unit, ahumidity control unit, or similar device. As with the other devices inFIG. 1, the environmental control unit 118 is provided with atransceiver for allowing wireless communication via antenna 121 and intherefore connected to wireless LAN 150.

As noted above, the coverage area of the wireless LAN 150 may be set toa predetermined range. Specifically, in a preferred embodiment, thetransceiver of the main server 100 includes an adjustable signalstrength feature. By adjusting the output power of the main server 100,a user controls the range at which the network nodes (i.e. theelectronic devices) can be placed and still be able to communicate withthe main server 100 to maintain a network connection and share theresources of the main server 100. In this regard, the transceivers ofelectronic devices 102-118 may also include an adjustable transmit powerfeature. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic devices 102-118 havean automatic adjustment feature that adjusts the transmit power based ona detected signal strength of signals transmitted from the main server100. Any known method or device for detecting signal strength may beused to implement this feature of the present invention.

As mentioned, the wireless network of FIG. 1 may be applied to a home orworkplace environment. FIG. 2 is an illustration of the wireless LAN ofthe present invention implemented in a home environment. As seen in thisfigure, home 216 includes rooms 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, and 228separated by walls or other physical structures. Room 218 of the home216 contains a main server 200, a laser printer 202, and a scanner 204and, thus, may serve as a home office. The main server 200 is depictedas a desktop computer with limited portability, but may be implementedas any general purpose computer such as the computer of FIG. 15.Moreover, the main server 200 may be connected to the Internet 120. Room220 includes a desktop computer 206, while rooms 222 and 228 includemobile terminals 208 and 212 respectively. As with the mobile terminalsof FIG. 1, the mobile terminals 208 and 212 are preferably dumbterminals, which provide the light weight and small size desirable forincreased portability. Room 224 includes refrigerator 210 and room 226includes VCR 214.

As with the system of FIG. 1, the devices in FIG. 2 each include anantenna that allows connection of the respective electronic device to awireless network controlled by server 200. Thus, while the laser printer202 and the scanner 204 are shown in room 218, these devices may beplaced in any other room in the home 216 and still maintaincommunication with the main server 200. Moreover, the transmit power ofthe wireless devices of FIG. 2 may be adjustable to control the range ofcoverage of the network. As each device of FIG. 2 is connected to awireless LAN controlled by main server 200, each electronic device ofFIG. 2 can share the resources of the main server 200. In addition, themain server 200 includes software for managing and controlling theelectronic devices on the home wireless network of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present inventionimplemented in a workplace environment. The workplace 327 is in anoffice building 326 and includes rooms 328, 330, 332, 334, 336, 338,340, 342, and 344 separated by a wall or other physical structure. Room336 contains a main server 300, printer 302, and database 304 with mainserver 300 connected to Internet 120. The main server 300 and printer302 are similar to their respective devices described in FIGS. 1 and 2.The database 304 is a file that contains records for carrying out thebusiness of the workplace 327. Rooms 328, 338, and 344 include mobileterminals 306, 324, and 316 respectively, with room 328 also containinga printer 308. Room 332 includes a desktop computer 312 and room 342includes a workstation 318 and printer 320. The workstation 318 issimilar to the mobile terminals in that it depends largely on thehardware of the main terminal 300 for operation, however the workstation318 may include a relatively large monitor suitable for displayinggraphic and other special purpose software applications provided by themain server 300.

In addition to the office equipment described above, the workplace 327also includes a coffee maker 310 in room 330, a lighting control unit314 in room 334, and a climate control unit 322 in room 340. The coffeemaker 310 is preferably provided with a timing device for brewing coffeeat a predetermined time and includes a transceiver for communicatingwith the main server 300 via antenna 321. The lighting control device314 is a unit for controlling the lighting of the workplace and alsoincludes a timer for automatically activating the lighting atpredetermined times. While the lighting control 314 is shown as a singleunit located in room 334, it is to be understood that the lightingcontrol can be implemented as a plurality of wireless units located onindividual lights throughout the workplace 327. Finally, the climatecontrol 322 is a wireless device that controls temperature and otherenvironmental factors within the workplace. As with the lightingcontrol, the climate control may be implemented as a plurality ofwireless units located on individual environmental units throughout theworkplace 327.

As seen in FIG. 3, only a portion of the rooms available in the officebuilding 326 make up the workplace area for the wireless network. In oneembodiment, the main server 300 emits an omnidirectional wirelesscommunication signal and is therefore centrally located in the workplaceso that the output power of the main server 300 covers an areasubstantially corresponding to the periphery of the workplace 327. Inthis regard, the transmit power of the main server 100 is preferablyadjustable to cover a larger area of the building 326 should theworkplace area be expanded. As previously described, the output powerlevels of the other (i.e. client) wireless electronic devices of FIG. 3may also be adjustable.

It is to be understood that the system in FIGS. 1-3 are for exemplarypurposes only, as many variations of the specific hardware and softwareused to implement the present invention will be readily apparent to onehaving ordinary skill in the art. For example, the functionality of themain server 100 may be divided among several computers. Moreover, whilethe systems are described as a client server network in which the mainserver 100 serves as the central server, the system may operate as apeer to peer network in which the mobile terminals and other desktopcomputers in the system act as both servers and clients to other nodeson the network. Finally, it is to be understood that the electronicdevices connected to the LANs of FIGS. 1-3 are exemplary only and thepresent invention contemplates that any electronic devices may beconnected to a LAN to realize the benefits and advantages of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows the flow diagram of an exemplary start up of a main serverand establishment of a wireless LAN in accordance with the presentinvention. The process steps of FIG. 4 will be described with respect tothe wireless network 150 of FIG. 1. As discussed above, each of theelectronic devices of FIG. 1 includes an antenna for wirelesscommunication. Thus, for all of the steps of FIG. 4 in which the datapackets are sent between the different devices, the data packets aresent wirelessly. The data packets may also be encrypted for securetransmission.

Step 400 illustrates the starting up of the system when a user turns onthe main server 100. When the main server 100 is turned on, the mainserver must identify all of the electronic devices that are powered upand capable of connecting with the wireless LAN 150. In step 402, themain server 100 looks up information that it stores about all of theelectronic devices that can exist in the wireless network 150. In oneembodiment, the stored list is input by a user of the LAN 150 aswireless devices are added to the LAN. In step 404, the main server 100sends data packets to each of the electronic devices identified in step402 to determine which electronic devices actually exist in the range ofthe wireless network 150. The data packets of step 404 may, for example,include the unique identifiers accessed in step 402 so that eachelectronic device can determine that it is being contacted by the mainserver 100.

In step 406, each of the electronic devices that is powered up andwithin the range of the wireless network 150 responds to the requestmade by the main server 100 in step 406. Each electronic device sendsdata packets to the main server 100 that include data indicating thatthe device is up and running. Of course, only those electronic devicesthat are within the signal range of the main server 100 and which havesufficient output power to communicate with the main server 100 can senda reply to the main server 100. Once the main server 100 has informationabout the status of each electronic device and terminal, in step 408,the main server 100 maintains information about the electronic devicespowered-up and running in the wireless LAN 150. Then in step 410, themain server 100 monitors management initiating parameters and waits fortransaction requests from the electronic devices connected to thewireless LAN 150. The process of monitoring management initiatingparameters and responding to transaction requests will be furtherdescribed with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6 below.

In a preferred embodiment, the main server 100 periodically updatesinformation on the electronic devices connected to the LAN 150. Thisupdating is preferably performed at predetermined time intervals, butmay be triggered by some event other than timing. Thus, decision block412 determines whether the network 150 is to be updated. If the mainserver 100 is not triggered to update the network, then the main server100 returns to step 410 where it continues to monitor electronicequipment and wait for transaction requests. If the network is to beupdated, the main server 100 proceeds to step 414 and then returns tostep 402 as shown in FIG. 4.

In step 414, the main server 100 determines which electronic deviceshave exited the network and drops links to those devices. A device exitsthe network 150, for example, when power to the remote device is turnedoff or the device leaves the signal area of the local device. As usedherein, the term “signal area” means that area in which the electronicdevice can receive, at a predetermined bit error rate, the transmittedsignal from the main server 100 and in which the main server 100 canreceive the transmit power of the remote device. A determination ofwhether an electronic device has left the network may be made by themain server 100 monitoring synchronization information of the electronicdevice, or by the main server 100 receiving an exit message transmittedfrom an electronic device prior to that device exiting the network.Moreover, as indicated above, the main server 100 may monitor signalstrength of remote electronic devices and determine that a particulardevice has exited the network if the signal strength for that devicesdrops below a predetermined threshold which may be programmable by theuser of the main server 100. In any situation where a remote device hasexited the network 150, the main server 100 terminates any link to thatdevice. After dropping electronic devices that have exited the network,the main server 100 returns to steps 402-408 where the main serveridentifies new devices that may have entered the network area andmaintains a list of such devices. An electronic device enters thenetwork 150, for example, when power to the electronic device is on andthe device is within the signal area of the main server 100.

Thus, FIG. 4 indicates a process for start up of a main server 100 andestablishment of wireless network 150. This process may be performed byusing a media access control (MAC) protocol. The MAC protocol is aprotocol used on multiple access links to ensure that only one devicehas access to the shared link at any one time. The MAC protocol, ineffect, allocates talking time to each device on the network. Forexample, the MAC protocol typically divides a single data frame intoseveral time slots. Each device in the network transmits information ina particular time slot and listens in all other time slots of the frame.As each device has a fixed amount of bandwidth, that is, a fixed numberof data bits which can be transmitter per second, under the MACprotocol, a fixed amount of data can be transmitted in the device's timeslot. A common MAC protocol used for wireless bridges is the CarrierSense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA). Different MACprotocols may perform the steps of FIG. 4 in different ways. Forexample, in one embodiment of the present invention, the MAC protocol ofthe main server 100 updates the network by periodically causing the mainserver to transmit a “join message” requesting new electronic devices tojoin into the network. In another embodiment, the MAC protocol transmitsa join message and establishes a new link only if prompted by a newremote electronic device to do so. In yet another embodiment, the mainserver 100 keeps a count of the number of remote electronic devices forwhich a network link has been established, and the MAC protocoltransmits a join message only if the count does not exceed a maximumnumber. The maximum number may be based on the bandwidth limitations ofthe main server 100 or programmable by the user of the main server.

Examples of multiple access protocols may be found in the IEEE 802.11standard, final draft approved Jun. 26, 1997, and the Blue toothspecification “Specification of the Blue Tooth System”, V.1.OB, Dec. 1,1999, core specification—Vol. 1, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference. It is to be understood that thefeatures and benefits of the present invention do not depend on aparticular MAC protocol and any of the above named protocols or anyother MAC protocol may be used to practice the present invention as willbe understood to one of ordinary skill in the art.

As indicated in the discussion of step 410 of FIG. 4, a main server ofthe present invention monitors electronic equipment and waits fortransaction requests from all electronic devices on the wireless networkestablished by the main server. In a preferred embodiment, a main servermanages electronic devices within a wireless home network such as thenetwork described with regard to FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a flow chartillustrating a process for managing the electronic devices of thewireless LAN in FIG. 2 according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

In step 501, the main server 200 monitors the management initiatingparameters of all electronic devices 202-212 connected to the wirelessLAN. The management initiating parameter is a variable parameter thatdetermines when a particular device will be managed or automaticallycontrolled. For example, the management initiating parameter may be thetime of a system clock, a counter that counts a time lapse, or sensordata indicating temperature, humidity, or some other measurableparameter. In decision block 503, the main server 200 determines whetherthe parameters monitored indicate that a management action is needed.Decision block 403 is performed by comparison of monitored parameterswith at least one stored predetermined value for each managementinitiating parameter. For example, if the management initiatingparameter is time, then the main server compares the actual time of aninternal system clock with a stored time input by a user; where a matchin these times exists, the main server 200 determines that somemanagement action is needed.

If no parameter monitored indicates that an action is needed, the mainserver 200 returns to step 501 as shown in FIG. 5. If a managementparameter indicates that a management action is needed, then the mainserver 200 proceeds to step 505 where the management action isdetermined. The management action is a predetermined action associatedwith the parameter monitored by the main server 200. For example, if themain server 200 is set up to turn on VCR 214 at 2:30 AM, the managementparameter is the time of day and the management action is turning on theVCR 214. As another example, if the main server 200 is set up to monitorthe battery power of mobile terminals 208 and 212 and send a message toall terminals indicating that a particular terminal battery must becharged, the management initiating parameter is the battery power andthe action is sending a message to all terminals on the wirelessnetwork. Thus, a management initiating parameter and management actionmay be associated with any electronic device in the wireless network.

After the management action is determined, the main server 200 transmitsa management action data packet including the management actioninformation as shown in step 507. Returning to the VCR example above,the management action data packet would include the action “beginrecording.” In step 509, the electronic device to be managed receivesand processes the management action data packet. In a preferredembodiment, the data packet also includes a unique identifier for theVCR 214 so that only this electronic device will receive and process thewireless data packet sent by the main server 200 in step 507.

In step 511, the electronic device controlled then performs the actionof the management action data packet. That is, the VCR 214 will turn onthe recording function at 2:30 AM. In most instances, the managementaction will be some action that the electronic device can automaticallyperform based on the management action data packet. However, it is to beunderstood that the present invention is not limited to automaticcontrol. For example, the management action may be to display a remindermessage on mobile terminals 208 and 212 reminding the user of wirelessLAN 150 to clean out or change a water filter in refrigerator 210.

In a preferred embodiment, the electronic device that performs themanagement action will generate a management action report and send thisreport to the main server 200 as shown in step 513. The managementaction report is a data packet that includes information that the actionwas performed or was not performed by the electronic device due to somemalfunction. In step 515, the report is received and stored in the mainserver 100 so a user can access and review the report. Once this reportis received by the main server 200, the main server 200 again beginsmonitoring management initiating parameters of electronic devices on thewireless home network. Thus, FIG. 5 indicates the process steps formanaging electronic devices on a wireless home network. While theprocess of FIG. 5 is described with respect to the home network of FIG.2, it is to be understood that the process of the present invention maybe performed on a workplace network of FIG. 3 or any other wirelessnetwork that includes a variety of electronic devices.

As previously noted, the wireless LAN system of the present inventionnot only provides management and control of the electrical devicesconnected to the LAN, but also allows for the sharing of resources ofthe main server. FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process of themobile terminal 316 of FIG. 3 accessing the resources of the main server300. As with the previously described process, all transfer of datapackets between devices occurs by wireless transmission via respectiveantennas. As seen in FIG. 3, the main server 300 has wireless access toexternal memory 304 and a printer 308. Whenever the main server 300needs the service of either external memory 304 or printer 308, the mainserver 300 will send wireless data packets with instruction and data onwhat the main server wants these electronic devices to do. By sendingdata packets to the main server 300, the terminal 306 may view a filelocated in the external memory 304, use an application software in themain server 300, print a file on the printer 308, or access the Internet120.

The process begins in step 600 when the user of mobile terminal 306turns on the mobile terminal. This may be done by use of a power switchor by activating an input device of the mobile terminal to awake theterminal from a power saving or “sleep” mode. In step 602, the mobileterminal 306 sends data packets that identify the mobile terminal 306 tothe main server 300 thereby indicating to the main server that themobile terminal 306 is ready to use the resources of the main server300. The main server 300 permits access only to those terminals that areregistered to use the shared resources. This prevents unauthorizedaccess to the main server 300 and its resources. As noted in thedescription of FIG. 4, the main server 300 waits for transactionrequests from the terminal 306.

Once the main server 300 receives the identification data packets fromthe terminal and verifies that the identification is valid, the mainserver 300 transmits verification packets to the mobile terminal 306 asshown by step 604. The verification packets inform the mobile terminal306 that the main server 300 recognizes the terminal as a valid user ofthe main server resources. The main server 300 is then ready to performa requested transaction for the mobile terminal 306. In step 606, themobile terminal 306 sends data packets to the main server 300 requestingto open a file located on a file server of the main terminal 300. Themain server 300 receives the file request and then determines theapplication software that allows the opening of the file as shown instep 608. The main server 300 then starts the appropriate applicationsoftware, opens the requested file, and sends data packets to the mobileterminal 316 that allow the mobile terminal to view the requested file.

Once the file is opened by the mobile terminal 306, the user of themobile terminal 306 may want to print out the file. In step 610, themobile terminal 306 sends data packets to the main server 300 requestingprinting of the file opened. Once the main server 300 receives the printrequest, the main server must determine whether the printer isaccessible to the main server. In step 612, the main server 300 sendsdata packets to the printer 308, for example, to determine if theprinter exists and is on line. In step 614, the printer 308 sends datapackets to the main server 300 indicating that it exists and ready toprint. In an alternative embodiment, the main server 300 may determinethat the printer 308 exists and is on line by maintaining a list ofitems connected to the network as described with respect to FIG. 4.

Once the main server 300 determines that the printer 308 is available,the main server 300 sends data packets containing the file to be printedto the printer 308 as shown in step 616. The file is then printed on aprint medium loaded in the printer 308. Thus, steps 606 through 616 ofFIG. 6 indicate the method for the mobile terminal 306 accessing andopening a file on the main server 300, and then printing the opened fileon network printer 308.

With the file printed, the user of mobile terminal 306 may want toaccess the Internet 120. In a preferred embodiment, the mobile terminal306 and/or main server 300 includes Web browser software forcommunicating with remote web servers via Internet 120. To access webpages on a remote server, the user inputs a uniform resource locator(URL) identifying the location of the requested web page. Details ofaccessing and using the Internet may be found in “How The InternetWorks”, by Preston Gralla, the entire contents of which is incorporatedherein by reference. Thus, in step 618, the mobile terminal 306 sendsdata packets to the main server 300 requesting access to the Internetwebsite www.ricoh.com, for example. The main server 300 receives theInternet access request and, in step 620, the main server starts the webbrowser software such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft InternetExplorer to access the Internet 120 and to go to the requested website.The main server 100 then uses the URL to access the requested websiteand sends data packets of the content of the web site, such as webpages, to the mobile terminal 316. Thus, FIG. 6 illustrates how a mobileterminal can utilize the software, hardware, and Internet resource ofthe wireless network in accordance with the present invention.

As described above, the electronic devices may be managed and resourcesmay be shared using a main server to communicate via the wireless LAN.In another embodiment of the present invention, a portable controldevice provides a uniform interface for manual control of the electronicdevices on the wireless LAN. FIG. 7 is a system diagram illustrating asystem for managing and controlling a local network of electronicdevices using a control device. The system of FIG. 7 is identical to thesystem of FIG. 1 except that the system of FIG. 7 includes controldevice 800 as well as applications software that allows remote manualcontrol of electronic devices using the control device 800. As with theother devices on the LAN, the control device 800 includes a transceiverand antenna 121 for communicating wirelessly with the main server 100and other nodes of the LAN. The control device is a lightweight handhelddevice similar to a remote control for a television, for example.However, the antenna 121 of the control device emits an omnidirectionalsignal rather than the directional infrared signal of the conventionalremote control device. Therefore, the control device 800 can control theelectronic devices on the wireless LAN without being in line of sight ofthe device to be controlled.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the control panel of the control device800. As seen in this figure, the control device includes a display 810and an input keypad 815. The display is preferably a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), but may be implemented as any one of the known displaydevices. The keypad 815 includes up directional button 820, rightdirectional button 821, left directional button 822, down directionalbutton 823, and menu and select buttons 830 and 832 respectively. Thedirectional buttons 820 through 823 are used to navigate through menusdisplayed on the display 810. The menu button 830 and the select button832 are used to initiate the display of a menu and to select items in amenu as will be further described below. In a graphical user interfaceenvironment, the directional buttons and menu and select buttons may beconfigured to operate as a mouse. Thus, the control device 800 is asimple portable wireless device for displaying, navigating and selectingcontrol menus for the electrical devices connected to the wireless LAN.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of the control device 800. The controldevice 800 includes CPU 801, RAM 802, ROM 804, display controller 806,Input controller 808, and communications controller 840. The variousunits of the control device 800 are interconnected by way of system bus850. The CPU 801 processes instructions or sequences of instructionsstored in the RAM 802 and/or ROM 504 in response to input commands of auser via input controller 508. The display controller controls thedisplay of images and text on the display in response to commands fromthe CPU 801. Communications controller 510 allows the control device 800to receive and process wireless digital data from the main server andother electronic devices on the wireless LAN. It is to be understoodthat the items in the block diagram of FIG. 9 are exemplary itemsintended to provide a functional description of the control device 800.The control device may incorporate any of the components of a knownwireless computing device such as the Palm Pilot manufactured by Palm,Inc. In addition, the control device may include any of the features ofa general computing device such as the device described in FIG. 14.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart indicating the process manually controllingelectronic devices using the control device 800 in accordance with thepresent invention. The process begins at step 1000 when the user of thecontrol device 800 presses the menu button 830 on the input keypad 815.In step 1002, a Menu Request command is broadcast to the devices on thewireless LAN. The menu request message is a generic message requestingelectronic devices on the wireless LAN to identify themselves andprovide a location for the control menu of the respective electronicdevice. In one embodiment of the present invention, the control device800 may request identification and control menu information only fromelectronic devices that are capable of communicating using apredetermined protocol used by the control device 800 such as hypertexttransfer protocol (http). In another embodiment, the control device 800requests identification and control menu information from all electronicdevices on the network and the main server 100 converts the menuinformation to a communication protocol understandable to the controldevice 800 as will be further described below. Once the Menu Requestcommand is sent, the control device 800 receives and stores anyresponses received from the electronic devices on the wireless network.

As with the main server of FIG. 1, the control device 800 may use anyknown MAC protocol to ensure that only one device of the wireless LANhas access to the shared link of a multiple access link at any one time.For example, FIG. 11 shows the communication correspondence when theMenu button is pressed at the control device 800. At the step 1101 thecontrol device 800 broadcasts the menu request. Step 1101 corresponds tostep 1002 in the flow chart of FIG. 10. In step 1103, the control device800 receives a response from a first electronic device, the printer 102,for example. As seen in FIG. 11, the printer 102 is identified asprinter “Orion” and has a menu location at Orion/menu.htm. The MAC usedby the control device 800 allows only the printer Orion to communicatewith the control device 800 at the time of step 1103. After thiscommunication is completed, the control device receives a response fromthe printer identified as “N4025” which has a control menu atN4025/menu.html as seen in step 1105. Again, N4025 is the only node ofthe network that communicates with the control device 800 at the time ofstep 1105. The control device 800 then sequentially receives a responsefrom the terminal “Venus,” the thermostat “980,” and the microwave oven“Sol” as illustrated in FIG. 11. While all of the responding devices ofFIG. 11 are shown to have HTTP menu capability, the present inventiondoes not require such a common protocol as mentioned above.

Returning to the flow chart of FIG. 10, in decision block 1006, thecontrol device 800 determines whether a predetermined time forresponding to the menu request has lapsed. If the time has not lapsed,the control device 800 returns to step 1004 where it receives and storesmore replies and menu locations of electronic devices connected to thewireless LAN as described with respect to FIG. 11. If the time to replyhas expired, the control device 800 proceeds to step 1008 where theresponding devices are displayed on the display 810 of the controldevice 800. The devices may be displayed in text format including thedevice identification and/or the location of the menu file on the mainserver 100 as exemplified in the text of FIG. 11. Alternatively, thelist of devices may be a graphical display of icons or selection boxeswith a device associated with each icon or selection box as shown inFIG. 12, which will be further described below. In a preferredembodiment, the control device displays the responding devices using aweb supported cellular phone format so that a large display is notrequired.

After the responding devices are displayed on the control device 800,the control device determines whether a selection from the list has beenmade by the user as shown by decision block 1010. As indicated above,the user selects a device from the list displayed by using the inputkeypad 815 on the control device 800. If no selection has been made, thecontrol device proceeds to decision block 1020 where it determineswhether a predetermined time for making a selection has passed. If theselection time has passed, the control device 800 shuts down the displayin step 1022 to preserve the battery power of the control device 800.Where a selection from the displayed list is made, the control device800 proceeds to decision block 1012 where the control device determinesif the selection made is a “more” selection.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control device800 may receive and store the identification and menu locationinformation for a larger number of electrical devices than can bedisplayed on the display 810 of the control device 800. Where such alarge number of devices respond to the broadcast, the control device 800displays a first group of the responding devices on the display alongwith a “more” option as shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is an illustration ofthe display 810 displaying a graphical display of selection boxesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. As seen in thisfigure, selection box 1212 is associated with printer Orion, selectionbox 1214 is associated with microwave oven Sol, and selection box 1216is associated with terminal Venus. Thus, the display of FIG. 12 displaysthe electronic devices that responded in the communication protocol ofFIG. 11. In this regard, the selection box 1218 is provided becausethere are responding devices that cannot be displayed on the display810, namely the printer N4025 and the thermostat 980.

Where the selection is the “more” selection box 1218, the control device800 displays a second group of responding devices on the display 810 asindicated by step 1016 of FIG. 10. Where the selection is not the “more”selection box 1218, but rather an electronic device, the control device800 establishes a connection with the selected device as shown in step1014. In a preferred embodiment, the selection box of the selected itemis shown on the display 810 in a highlighted fashion as shown byselection box 1214 of FIG. 12.

After the selection is made by the user, the control device 800establishes a connection with the selected electronic device as seen instep 1014. As indicated above, one embodiment of the control device 800receives and processes responses only from devices having an httpprotocol menu. In this embodiment, the control device 800 establishes awireless connection directly with the selected device with an http mode.This allows communication with the selected device with limitedintervention by the main server 100. In another embodiment, the controldevice 800 receives a response from all electronic devices includingdevices that have menu controls incompatible with the communicationprotocol of the control device. In this embodiment, step 1014 ofestablishing a connection with the selected device includes a step fordetermining whether the selected device has the same communicationprotocol as the control device or not. If the selected device has adifferent menu protocol, i.e. not http for example, the control devicethen contacts the main server 100 also as part of step 1014. The mainserver 100 includes software for translating the unfamiliar protocol ofthe selected device to a protocol understandable to the control device800. Thus, step 1014 of establishing a connection with the selecteddevice requires a connection be made through the main server 100. Withthe http connection established, the control device 800 exchangescontrol data with the electronic device to control the aspects of theelectronic device.

According to a preferred embodiment, the control device 800 provides thelisting of responding electrical devices on the display 810 in apredetermined order. FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a process fordisplaying the responding electronic devices on the control device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In step 1302,the control device ranks the responding devices in accordance with astored access frequency table. The access frequency table is a file thatkeeps track of user access to each of the electronic devices in thewireless local area network. With the responding devices ranked, thecontrol device 800 displays N devices on the display 810 as shown bystep 1304 where N represents the number of devices capable of beingdisplayed on the display 810 at one time, N is determined by the displayresolution and size. At the 1306, if there are more devices respondingthan N devices, the system adds “More” icon or word in the step 1308. Atstep 1310, it returns to the calling process.

Thus, the main server 100 and/or control device 800 may be used tomanage and control wireless electronic devices included in a wirelesshome or office LAN and provide shared resources to such wireless networkdevices. Widespread use of such home and wireless networks may cause aproblem, however, in that adjacent wireless networks may interfere withone another. FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate the problem of interferingcommunications in a wireless network environment. FIG. 14 is a schematicillustration of a peer-to-peer configuration of a wireless network. Thewireless network includes wireless computers 1400 and 1402 each havingwireless adapter cards that allow the computers to communicatewirelessly through electromagnetic signals such as RF signals 1404.Where each computer 1400 and 1402 is within the signal area of the othercomputer, the computers can access one another and, therefore, shareresources.

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of two adjacent wireless networks.Wireless network 1500 includes terminals 1502, 1504, and 1506, as wellas a resource manager 1508, and a printer 1510. All of the devices innetwork 1500 are equipped with hardware and software for allowingwireless communication, and therefore, the terminals 1502, 1504 and 1506have wireless access to the resource manager 1508 and its hardware andsoftware resources. Thus, any terminal can use software stored on theresource manager 1508 or the printer 1510 controlled by the resourcemanager 1508. Similarly, wireless network 1512 includes terminal 1514,resource manager 1516, and a scanner 1518, and the terminal 1514 canwirelessly access the resources, including the scanner, of the resourcemanager 1516.

As illustrated by the electromagnetic wave symbols 1520 and 1522 in FIG.15, the wireless networks 1500 and 1512 are in close enough proximity toone another that the terminals and resources of each network are withinthe signal range of the other network. This creates a problem becausethe terminals 1502, 1504 and 1506 may undesirably access the resourcesof the network 1512, and the terminal 1514 may undesirably access theresources of the network 1500. That is, the wireless networks 1500 and1512 are not independent of one another because their communicationranges overlap.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlapping wirelesshome networks of adjacent houses in a neighborhood. As seen in thisfigure, houses 1600, 1604, 1608 and 1612 include main servers 1602,1606, 1610, and 1614 respectively. Each main server 1602, 1606, 1610,and 1614 is a wireless network server such as the main server 100 inFIG. 1 or the server 200 in FIG. 2. Thus, while not shown in FIG. 16,each main server in FIG. 16 manages, controls and shares resources withwireless electronic devices included in a home network associated withthe main server as described with respect to FIGS. 2 and 4 through 6.The signal range of each main server is indicated in FIG. 16 by a seriesof dashed circles concentric about a respective main server. Theoutermost dashed concentric circle for each main server represents themaximum signal range for that main server. Thus, as seen in FIG. 16,main servers 1602, 1606 and 1610 have a maximum range sufficient tocover the entire area of their respective houses 1600, 1604 and 1608,while main server 1614 has a maximum range that covers a part of thearea of house 1612. Therefore, the electronic devices for the wirelessnetworks in homes 1600, 1604, and 1608, may be placed anywhere in theirrespective houses. However, the location of the electronic devices inthe house 1612 is limited to a specific area because the RF signals sentby the main server 1614 reach only a specific area of the house 1612.Devices 1616 and 1618 are exemplary wireless electronic devices to beused in a wireless home LAN. The signal range of each wirelesselectronic device in FIG. 16 is indicated by a series of solid linedcircles concentric about a respective electronic device.

As described with respect to FIGS. 14 and 15, sharing of resourcesbetween wireless devices requires the wireless devices to be within eachother's signal range. Thus, electronic device 1616 can effectively shareresources with main server 1602, but cannot access the resources of mainserver 1606. However, electronic device 1618 can access the resources ofeither main server 1606 or main server 1610. Moreover, since the signalranges of servers 1606 and 1610 reach each other, these servers canaccess the resources of each other. Due to privacy and home controlinterference considerations, it is undesirable for the server andassociated electronic devices of one home network to be able to accessthe main server and resources of a neighboring home network. Theseconsiderations are even more important in an office network context.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlapping wirelessoffice networks of adjacent offices in an office building 1700. As seenin this figure, offices 1702, 1706, 1710, 1714, 1718, 1722, 1726, 1730and 1734 include main servers 1704, 1708, 1712, 1716, 1720, 1724, 1728,1732 and 1736 respectively. Each main server 1704, 1708, 1712, 1716,1720, 1724, 1728, 1732 and 1736 is a wireless network server such as themain server 100 in FIG. 1 or the main server 300 in FIG. 3. Thus, whilenot shown in FIG. 17, each main server in FIG. 16 manages, controls andshares resources with wireless electronic devices included in an officenetwork associated with the main server as described with respect toFIGS. 3-6.

The signal range of each main server is indicated in FIG. 17 by a seriesof dashed circles concentric about a respective main server. Theoutermost dashed concentric circle for each main server represents themaximum signal range for that main server. Thus, as seen in FIG. 17,main servers 1704, 1708, 1712, 1716, 1720, 1724, and 1736 have a maximumrange that essentially covers the entire area of their respectiveoffices, while main servers 1728 and 1732 have a maximum range thatcovers a part of the area of their respective offices. Therefore, theelectronic devices for the wireless networks in offices 1702, 1706,1710, 1714, 1718, 1722 and 1734, may be placed essentially anywhere intheir respective offices. However, the location of the resources inoffices 1726 and 1730 is limited to a specific area because the RFsignals sent by the main servers 1728 and 1732 reach only a specificarea of these offices. Devices 1740 and 1742 are exemplary wirelesselectronic devices to be used in a wireless office LAN. The signal rangeof each wireless electronic device in FIG. 17 is indicated by a seriesof solid lined circles concentric about a respective electronic device.

As described with respect to FIGS. 14 and 15, sharing of resourcesbetween wireless devices requires the wireless devices to be within eachother's signal range. Thus, electronic device 1740 of FIG. 17 can accessthe resources of main server 1708 or main server 1712. Similarly, thewireless electronic device 1742 is able to share resources with both themain server 1704 and the main server 1708. Moreover, due to the closeproximity of the offices shown in FIG. 17, several of the main serversin this figure are in the signal range of adjacent main servers and,therefore, are able to access the resources of the adjacent mainservers. Given the sensitive and proprietary nature of businesscommunication, it is undesirable for one office LAN to access and/orcontrol the resources of an adjacent office LAN. This is particularlyimportant if the offices of the building 1700 correspond to differentcompanies.

Thus, where wireless home or office networks have overlapping signalareas, it is desirable for each network to operate independently bysharing resources only with authorized devices on its network. As notedwith respect to FIG. 6 above, such independence can be accomplished bythe main server permitting access only to registered electronic devices.U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/198,991, the entire contents ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a method for usingthe control device 800 as a portable registration device for reliablyand securely adding new network devices to the appropriate LAN in anenvironment where more than one wireless LAN exists. However, the use ofa portable registration device to locally register an electronic devicemay be undesirable to some users. Specifically, the wireless device maybe unavailable due to misplacement, damage or expended batteries. Inthis situation, a new wireless electronic device cannot be added to thenetwork. Moreover, a separate registration device adds to the cost ofimplementing the wireless network.

FIG. 18 shows a method of registering and adding a wireless electronicdevice to a wireless LAN without the need for a portable registrationdevice. The method shown in FIG. 18 applies to registering and addingany of the mobile terminal, Office equipment, entertainment device,appliance or environmental control device of FIG. 1 to a home or officewireless network. As seen in FIG. 18, after start of the process in step1800, a user configures the wireless electronic device being added tothe wireless LAN to only recognize communications from the main serverassociated with the user's wireless network. For example, if a userwishes to add the wireless electronic device 1740 to the networkassociated with main server 1708, the user would configure the device1740 to recognize only communications from the main server 1708 locatedin office 1706.

Configuration of the wireless electronic device being added may includesetting the electronic device to operate only at a unique frequency usedby the main server and known only to the user of the network. Thewireless electronic device may be configured at the hardware level toonly receive a specific frequency, or at the software level to processonly messages received and having the specific frequency of the mainserver. Alternatively, configuration of the wireless electronic devicebeing added to the LAN may be accomplished by inputting the mainserver's secret bit address into the device. With this configuration,the electronic device decodes all received messages, but processes onlythose messages having the bit address of the main server. Finally, theelectronic device may be configured to operate using an encryptionmethod unique to the main server. Any known encryption method may beused and the details of encryption methods may be found in “How TheInternet Works”, by Preston Gralla, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein by reference. Configuration of the wirelesselectronic device being added to the network may also include enablingthe wireless electronic device to transmit messages having a generalcharacteristic common to all devices on the network as will be furtherdescribed below.

Once the wireless electronic device being added is configured, the mainserver is configured by the user to allow only registered devices toaccess the main server as shown in step 1804. Returning to the exampleof FIG. 17, the user would configure the main server 1708 to recognizecommunications from the device 1740, but not communications from device1742 or adjacent main servers. Similar to the configuration of theelectronic devices, the main server may be configured by setting themain server to a frequency compatible with the electronic device beingadded, or inputting to the main server a bit address or encryptionmethod compatible with the electronic device being added to the network.Configuration of the main server may be a general configuration thatrequires setting the main server to recognize a general characteristicof wireless communications received from devices configured by the userto be on the network. The general characteristic of the receivedmessages may be a general frequency, identifier or encryption key commonto the main server and all registered devices on the network. Forexample, if registration is done generally by frequency, the main serverand all devices on the network are set to a single frequency known onlyto the user, and all communications are done using that frequency.

However, in order to carry out the management, control and sharing ofresources described above, the main server is preferably able touniquely identify each electronic device on the network. For example,the main server 1708 in FIG. 17 may serve, in addition to the electronicdevice 1740, a wireless climate control system and wireless securitysystem. Of course, management and control of these devices requires themain server to send a particular command to a specific network device,thereby requiring each device on the network to have a uniqueidentifier. Thus registration of a wireless electronic device with amain server is preferably accomplished by use of each device's uniqueidentifier. In one embodiment, the main server may identify eachelectronic device on the network by a unique communication frequency ofthe device. In this embodiment, the main server is configured to receivea broad range of frequencies, including the discrete frequency of eachelectronic device on the LAN. Alternatively, the main server mayidentify each electronic device by a unique bit address or encryptionkey for the device.

Where registration of each network device is based on the device'sunique identifier, the configuration step 1804 includes inputtinginformation about the device being added, along with the uniquefrequency, address or encryption key of the of the device. Thus, asshown by step 1806, the main server completes registration of the devicebeing added to the network by adding the device information and uniqueidentifier to a registered network device list. The network device listis stored in main server memory and is preferably in a relationaldatabase format where device information such as “climate control” or“mobile terminal” is associated with the unique identifier assigned tothat device. In the example of FIG. 17, the information and uniqueidentifier for the wireless electronic device 1740 is added to thenetwork device list maintained in the memory of main server 1708.

Once the wireless electronic device to be added is registered with themain server as described above, the electronic device is added to theLAN as shown by step 1808. The device is added by simply placing theregistered device in proximity to the main server such that the signalarea of the main server reaches the added wireless electronic device,and the signal area of the registered wireless electronic device reachesthe main server. In the example of FIG. 17, the wireless electronicdevice 1740 can be placed virtually anywhere in the office 1706. Theprocess of registering and adding a new device to the LAN then ends asshown by termination 1810, and the main server can monitor, control andshare resources with the electronic device added as described in FIG. 4through 6.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing the process of the main servercommunicating with only registered devices as an independent wirelessLAN. After the start of the process in step 1900, wireless electronicdevices having sufficient signal range to reach the main server transmitwireless data packets to the main server as shown by step 1902. Thewireless data packets may include management initiating parameters,requests for access to resources, or any other data used in carrying outthe management, control and resource sharing functions described above.Moreover, the data packets are sent from both registered andunregistered wireless electronic devices. Thus, both device 1740 and1742 in FIG. 17 send a wireless data packet to the main server 1708,even though the device 1742 is not registered with the main server 1708.Because the main server 1708 is within the signal range of both 1740 and1742, the main server 1708 receives the packets from these devices asshown in step 1904.

In step 1906, the main server determines if a wireless packet is sentfrom a device that was registered with the main server. Where severalwireless packets have been received, the main server may queue up thepackets and make the determination one wireless packet at a time. Thus,in the example of FIG. 17, the main server 1708 may first determinewhether wireless electronic device 1740 is a registered device, and thendetermines whether device 1742 is a registered device.

Where devices are generally registered, the main server simplydetermines if a particular wireless data packet includes the generalcharacteristic, i.e. frequency, bit address or encryption key, common toall registered devices on the network. If the data packet has thisgeneral characteristic, the main server determines that the wirelessdata packet originated from a registered device, or, otherwise, that thedata packet did not originate from a registered device. Whereregistration is determined by the unique identifier of an electronicdevice, the main server obtains a unique identifier, such as afrequency, bit address or encryption key, from the wireless data packetand compares the obtained unique identifier to the list of registereddevices maintained in memory. Where the obtained identifier is on theregistered device list, the main server determines that the data packetoriginated from a registered device. If the obtained identifier is noton the registered device list, the main server determines that the datapacket did not originate from a registered device. Thus, the main server1708 in FIG. 17 would determine that one wireless data packet wasreceived from registered wireless electronic device 1740, while anotherdata packet was received from unregistered wireless electronic device1742.

Where the main server determines in step 1906 that a wireless packetoriginated from a registered device, decision block 1908 directs theprocess flow to step 1910, where the main server processes the wirelessdata packet in accordance with the content of the packet. As describedabove, this content may relate to any of the monitoring, control andresource sharing functions described above. Moreover, where the functionrequires the main server to reply to the registered device, the mainserver sends a data packet using the main server's format that was madeknown to the electronic devices during configuration step 1802 of FIG.18. In a preferred embodiment where each wireless electronic device hasa unique identifier, the main server includes the unique identifier inall communications to the registered device. If groups of similarelectronic devices exist on the wireless network, the generalregistration method may be used in which case the main servercommunications to the registered devices include the generalcharacteristic described above.

Where the main server determines in step 1906 that a wireless datapacket originated from a unregistered device, decision block 1908directs the process flow to step 1912, where the main server discardsthe wireless data packet. In a preferred embodiment, the main serveralso sends the unregistered device a message informing the device thatit has been denied access to the main server. Thus, the system andmethod according to the present invention allows adjacent wirelessnetworks to act independently of one another.

FIG. 20 illustrates a computer system 2001 upon which an embodimentaccording to the present invention may be implemented. As indicatedabove, the computer system 2001 may function as the main sever inaccordance with the present invention. Computer system 2001 includes abus 2003 or other communication mechanism for communicating information,and a processor 2005 coupled with bus 2003 for processing theinformation. The processor 2005 may be implemented as any type ofprocessor including commercially available microprocessors fromcompanies such as Intel, AMD, Motorola, Hitachi and NEC.

The computer system 2001 may also include special purpose logic devices(e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) or configurablelogic devices (e.g., generic array of logic (GAL) or reprogrammablefield programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)). Other removable media devices(e.g., a compact disc, a tape, and a removable magneto-optical media) orfixed, high density media drives, may be added to the computer system2001 using an appropriate device bus (e.g., a small computer systeminterface (SCSI) bus, an enhanced integrated device electronics (IDE)bus, or an ultra-direct memory access (DMA) bus). The computer system2001 may additionally include a compact disc reader, a compact discreader-writer unit, or a compact disc juke box, each of which may beconnected to the same device bus or another device bus.

Computer system 2001 may be coupled via bus 2003 to a display 2013, suchas a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computeruser. The display 2013 may be controlled by a display or graphics card.The computer system includes input devices, such as a keyboard 2015 anda cursor control 2017, for communicating information and commandselections to processor 2005. The cursor control 2017, for example, is amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating directioninformation and command selections to processor 2005 and for controllingcursor movement on the display 2013.

The computer system 2001 performs a portion or all of the processingsteps of the invention in response to processor 2005 executing one ormore sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory, suchas the main memory 2007. Such instructions may be read into the mainmemory 2007 from another computer-readable medium, such as storagedevice 2011. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangementmay also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions containedin main memory 2007. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitrymay be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific combination ofhardware circuitry and software.

As stated above, the system 2001 includes at least one computer readablemedium or memory programmed according to the teachings of the inventionand for containing data structures, tables, records, or other datadescribed herein. Stored on any one or on a combination of computerreadable media, the present invention includes software for controllingthe computer system 2001, for driving a device or devices forimplementing the invention, and for enabling the computer system 2001 tointeract with a human user, e.g., a customer. Such software may include,but is not limited to, device drivers, operating systems, developmenttools, and applications software. Such computer readable media furtherincludes the computer program product of the present invention forperforming all or a portion (if processing is distributed) of theprocessing performed in implementing the invention.

The computer code devices of the present invention may be anyinterpreted or executable code mechanism, including but not limited toscripts, interpreters, dynamic link libraries, Java classes, andcomplete executable programs. Moreover, parts of the processing of thepresent invention may be distributed for better performance,reliability, and/or cost.

The term “computer readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing instructions to processor 2005 forexecution. A computer readable medium may take many forms, including butnot limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmissionmedia. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical, magneticdisks, and magneto-optical disks, such as storage device 2011. Volatilemedia includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 2007. Transmissionmedia includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, includingthe wires that comprise bus 2003. Transmission media also may also takethe form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio wave and infrared data communications.

Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, harddisks, floppy disks, tape, magneto-optical disks, PROMs (EPROM, EEPROM,Flash EPROM), DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, or any other magnetic medium, compactdisks (e.g., CD-ROM), or any other optical medium, punch cards, papertape, or other physical medium with patterns of holes, a carrier wave(described below), or any other medium from which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying outone or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 2005 forexecution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on amagnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions for implementing all or a portion of the present inventionremotely into a dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 2001 mayreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitterto convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupledto bus 2003 can receive the data carried in the infrared signal andplace the data on bus 2003. Bus 2003 carries the data to main memory2007, from which processor 2005 retrieves and executes the instructions.The instructions received by main memory 2007 may optionally be storedon storage device 2011 either before or after execution by processor2005.

Computer system 2001 also includes a communication interface 2019coupled to bus 2003. Communication interface 2019 provides a two-waydata communication coupling to a network link 2021 that is connected toa local network (e.g., LAN 2023). For example, communication interface2019 may be a network interface card to attach to any packet switchedlocal area network (LAN). As another example, communication interface2019 may be an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) card, anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide adata communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line.Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation,communication interface 2019 sends and receives electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streamsrepresenting various types of information. The radio waves may beimplemented using a spread spectrum technique such as Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) communication or using a frequency hoppingtechnique such as that disclosed in the Bluetooth specificationpreviously described.

Network link 2021 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 2021 mayprovide a connection through LAN 2023 to a host computer 2025 or to dataequipment operated by a service provider, which provides datacommunication services through an IP (Internet Protocol) network 2027(e.g., the Internet 607). LAN 2023 and IP network 2027 both useelectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams. The signals through the various networks and the signals onnetwork link 2021 and through communication interface 2019, which carrythe digital data to and from computer system 2001, are exemplary formsof carrier waves transporting the information. Computer system 2001 cantransmit notifications and receive data, including program code, throughthe network(s), network link 2021 and communication interface 2019.

Obviously, numerous additional modifications and variations of thepresent invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It istherefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claimsthe present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallydescribed herein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for managing networkresources, comprising: a receiver to receive wireless data packets froma plurality of wireless electronic devices; and a processor configuredto determine a registered device among the plurality of wirelesselectronic devices and to create a wireless local area network (LAN) bywirelessly connecting the apparatus to the registered device, whereinthe processor is configured to determine the registered device byidentifying a unique identifier included in at least one of the wirelessdata packets, the unique identifier being a transmit frequency, andanalyzing the unique identifier to determine the registered device. 2.An apparatus for managing network resources, comprising: a receiverconfigured to receive wireless data packets from a plurality of wirelesselectronic devices; and a processor configured to determine a registereddevice among the plurality of wireless electronic devices and to createa wireless local area network (LAN) by wirelessly connecting theapparatus to the registered device, wherein the processor is configuredto determine the registered device by identifying a unique identifierincluded in at least one of the wireless data packets, the uniqueidentifier being a transmit frequency, and comparing the uniqueidentifier to a network device list to determine the registered device.3. A method of managing network resources, comprising: receivingwireless data packets from a plurality of wireless electronic devices;determining a registered device among the plurality of wirelesselectronic devices by identifying a unique identifier included in atleast one of the wireless data packets, the unique identifier being atransmit frequency, and comparing the unique identifier to a networkdevice list to determine the registered device; and creating a wirelesslocal area network (LAN) by wirelessly connecting the apparatus to theregistered device.